Snatched
by rhapsodybree
Summary: You never come to truly appreciate the precious things in life until they are snatched from you. Calleigh and Eric face the possibility that they may never see their daughter again.
1. Gooney

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except my own creations.

*******************

Jarrod Gooney sits in the restaurant and looks around. It was a pleasant enough place: the windows offered a view of the beach and the setting Miami sun, the place was clean enough and the food was okay – not quite the deep fried stuff he was into, but the chips and burger had been acceptable.

Fiddling with his napkin he looked at the restaurant's patrons. He wasn't too sure how much he was enjoying 'retirement'. Getting out of the game had been good for his heart, but he found wandering aimlessly about doing 'normal' things perennially boring, and in all honesty he had had enough. It was like he had been forced to go to those bloody AA meetings: he got to Step 3 and then had thrown the list into the bin.

This time he'd lasted three months.

He don't know what made him turn to the door this time when they swung open – as it did incessantly – but when he took in the sight of the short buxom blonde that entered with a little blonde girl resting on her hip, he was glad he'd looked. Smart enough to know that making a scene will only draw unwanted attention to himself, he simply contented himself with shifting in his seat and watching the duo closely.

As they moved into his path and headed to a table several down from him, he could hear the woman gently chiding the child for gripping her hair. 'Hey sweetheart. Let's leave Mommy's hair alone okay?'

Holding up his menu, he conspicuously peered over the barrier and saw her arrive at a table in the corner, politely greeting the man seated there. From the reaction of the man, it would appear that the child's presence had not been expected.

As he wondered what Bo Leach was up to these days, the waitress came to his table with his coffee and blocked his view. Barely acknowledging it's arrival, he waved her away with a frustrated shake as he tried to see the woman and child once again. The waitress' slowly departing form blocked his favoured image for some time longer, and that meant when the restaurant door swung open once again, he saw a flustered dark skinned man come through. Thinking there is nothing to be seen he turned away, but his head flew back around when the same little blonde girl he had been watching gleefully ran the length of the room with a shout of 'Daddy!' The little blonde girl was swung up into the dark skinned man's arms and firmly kissed and hugged.

It had been some months since he had undertaken an operation like this. But as he looked at the man approaching the blonde woman – Wife? Partner? – and leaning down to give her a kiss, he decided that perhaps now was a good time. Stuff being normal, he wanted back in.

And this family ripe for the picking.

Taking a few sips of his scalding coffee, he watched the man leave the woman at the table and take the little girl with him as they left the restaurant. Slamming down a few bills onto the table, not caring that his coffee was nowhere near finished, Jarrod Gooney stood up and made his own swift exit.

It was time to play Happy Families.

Shading his eyes against the harsh Miami sun, he quickly spots the dark skinned man walking very slowly down the path away from him, his body tilted to the left as he leans down to hold the hand of the little blonde girl who she sets the pace beside him.

Flipping his phone out and holding an imaginary conversation in order to stall time, he flipped the phone shut when he saw the dark skinned man swing up the little blonde girl into his arms and approach a car. Seeing the dark skinned man fiddling with his car keys, he made his move.

Getting closer, jealousy bubbled within him as he saw the easy and loving manner between father and daughter, he plastered a smile on his face as he nonchalantly stepped up next to the duo. 'Cute kid.'

The dark skinned man's head turned around to look at him with a small degree of confusion mixed with considerable pride.

'Thanks.'

No. Thank _you. _

_*******************_

_Coming Up:_ Wylie.


	2. Wylie

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except my own creations.

*******************

It was pitch black, save for the moonlight streaking through the window, when Wylie Delko woke up and looked around her room. She wasn't sure what had woke her up. Maybe it was the Sleep Monster? Peering around carefully she found no evidence of the Monster lurking in the corners of her room where she knew he liked to hide. Sitting back on her nappy clad bottom her brow creased as she thought deeply. She was awake now and a little thirsty and she was sure that a drink would help her get back to sleep.

Pushing her Nemo sheets back, she scrambled out of the cot and slowly made her way over to the door. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes she dragged her long suffering rabbit by it's fluffy ear along the ground, she walked into the room next to hers.

They weren't there!

Looking into her Mummy and Daddy's bedroom she frowned when she saw the perfectly made bed and no bumps under the sheets. Where were they? They were supposed to be there. Maybe they were in the tv room?

Slowly toddling down the stairs one step at a time, Wylie saw a light in the kitchen and was relieved that she had found her parents. Wrapping an arm around Bunny's neck, she gathered him up to her chest as she looked up at her Mummy and Daddy standing on the other side of the kitchen cupboard. They didn't know she was here yet.

Daddy had his arms wrapped around Mummy's waist and they were talking and laughing about something. And then Mummy wrapped her arms around Daddy's neck and stood on her very tippy-toes as they kissed each other. She rolled her eyes. They were _always _kissing! But that was okay, cos Mummy and Daddy always made sure that she got lots of kisses too.

Uh oh.

She'd been discovered. She was sure she hadn't made a noise yet. Maybe they had eyes on the back of their head. That's what Kelsi from daycare said her Mummy had. When Mummy and Daddy pulled away from each other she couldn't see their angry faces. _Whoo._ They weren't angry to see her out of bed. Daddy came toward her and laughed as he scooped her up into his arms, smacking a big kiss on her lips and gave her a really tight hug. _Let me breathe Daddy!_

The reason she had come to the kitchen in the first place was forgotten as she was carried back upstairs to her bedroom and tucked into her sheets once again. Bunny was right next to her and she squeezed him tight. She was kissed by Daddy and Mummy before they said 'I love you' and turned to leave her room. _Should she tell them?_ 'Tell them what?' her mind sleepily questioned as she sucked on her thumb and promptly fell back to sleep.

When she woke up again it was still pitch black. That was strange. She wasn't supposed to wake up until the moon had gone to bed and the sun was at the window. Maybe the Sleep Monster had come back? Squeezing Bunny in her arms she scrambled up in her cot to look around her room. Someone was standing in the moonlight and making a funny shape on the carpet. 'Daddy?' she questioned softly as the man approached her.

It wasn't Daddy.

Wylie opened her mouth to scream, but the man covered her mouth with a funny smelling cloth and so she couldn't get any noise out. _Mummy! Daddy! _She knew no more.

*******************

_Coming Up: _Horatio.


	3. Horatio

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except my own creations.

*******************

When the phone rang and shattered his early morning, Horatio Caine knew without a doubt that this call would not be good. Flipping open his phone his answered it with a curt 'Caine.'

'H...' said the distraught voice on the other end.

When he arrived at the Delko household, the other members of his team had already arrived and were awkwardly huddling near the front door. Tripp's car pulled up alongside his as he stepped out, shutting the door as he took his sunglasses off and gazed at the house.

Frank stood beside him for a moment as they were both quiet before the detective voiced what was on both their minds. 'This isn't going to be pleasant.'

'I'm inclined to agree.'

Stepping into the house, his eyes search for and find immediately the distraught parents. Eric was holding the small frame of Calleigh in his arms and it was clear that the reality of the situation still hadn't quite hit them.

Mr Wolfe came to his side quickly to advise him that Boa Vista was heading upstairs to process Wylie Delko's bedroom and that he was going to take a look outside. Nodding his agreement at the plan, he stepped into the lounge room with Tripp. He needed to question two of the best CSI's he'd ever worked with. Not only that, they meant something to him personally as well. His face displayed nothing of his inner turmoil as he approached Eric and Calleigh.

The kidnapping of a child was never easy, and he felt their pain as he asked them to trace their steps for the past week.

Calleigh took a deep breath before she began to speak. 'Wylie was in daycare as usual from Monday to Thursday and I went to work. And Eric was at work too. And then she came with me to the doctor's on Friday, then she was with you then, wasn't she, that night?' said the blonde haired woman turning to Eric.

Eric nodded his head and looked at him. 'I was running late, so I picked up Wylie from the restaurant because Calleigh had a meeting. Oh God, the restaurant...'

'What happened at the restaurant Eric?' probed Horatio as the dark skinned man looked unseeingly at the floor. 'There was a man there...'

'What man?' he pushed. 'Can you describe him?'

'He was an average sort of man. Average height, average weight, average looks. Just average,' said Eric helplessly.

'Did he say or do anything?' questioned Tripp as Eric struggled to remember.

'He just came over... Oh God... He came over to me when I was putting Wylie into the car and he said something.' Horatio spotted Calleigh gripping her husband's hand as he continued to speak. 'He said 'cute kid' and then he thanked me. H...'

Further questioning was halted by the arrival of Mr Wolfe in the doorway. 'Horatio?'

He turned to look at his CSI who held a toy in his arms. He would recognise that rabbit anywhere: it was Wylie's favourite toy Bunny. He could hear the choked sounds behind him as he moved away. His heart tightened as he saw Eric reach out a hand for Bunny, withdrawing after a moment of mid-air suspension as he realised that he couldn't touch his daughter's most prized possession as it was evidence.

'Where did you find it?' he asked in a low tone.

'On the ground outside Wylie's bedroom,' was the equally low tone in response.

'Bag it.'

Mr Wolfe was placing the rabbit in an evidence bag when the phone rang. Silence descended down upon them all before he slid across the room and gestured to the tech people and nodded to Eric to get ready. Calleigh maintained her death grip on Eric's hand as he folds his sunglasses slowly and places them in his pocket. Eric picks up the phone and the tape recorder begins to record. The words that followed sent a chill through his spine.

'Not so cute now are we?'

*******************

_Coming Up: _Dave.


	4. Dave

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except my own creations.

*******************

Listening to the ACDC song mentally playing in his head, AV Tech Dave Benton's eyes furiously flew over the images on the screen in front of him, processing the potential relevance of his various sources. He had to keep his head together and be at his brutal best on this case - and that was why Acca Dacca was playing in his mind. Any other case and he would have recited Silverchair in his head, but this case was personal and it meant that he was firing up the big guns.

When Eric Delko entered the room he was shifting through footage from the restaurant. Pausing awkwardly, he turned to the father. 'Sorry man,' he said as his teammate shook his head. 'Let's just find the bastard that kidnapped my daughter.'

Flicking through the photographs and footage from the restaurant on the day that Eric and Wylie Delko had been there, they struggled to find an image of the guy that approached Eric in the carpark. The camera above the restaurant entrance was broken, and the only useful information that they could get from those tapes was the coming and going of cars at the carpark. Footage showed Calleigh's SUV arriving, Eric's car arriving, and then the SUV leaving once again, but with no knowledge of what car their potential kidnapper drove, the footage wasn't that helpful.

They had better success when they perused the footage from a nearby nightclub that was angled at the carpark. Concentrating, he rolled the tape forward to the approximate time that Eric was in the carpark. Playing the tape, he then moved forward in the three second increments the tape had been recorded in. The tape showed Eric walking slowly down the path outside the restaurant with his daughter - a seriously cute kid - holding his hand. 'Cute kid,' he said as he continued to watch the tape.

He sensed the dark skinned man tensing beside him as he responded in harsh terms. 'Don't. Say. That.'

'Ah sorry,' he said wondering why a little comment on the cuteness of his kid had Delko so stressed as he turned his attention back to the images.

'That's him,' said Eric suddenly as a brown-haired man's head appeared on the screen, followed by his body in nondescript clothing three seconds later.

No matter how much he tried, this video footage didn't give him an image of the man, his back always being to the camera. Dave flicked through other sources fiercely as he looked for anything from the same time at a better angle – anything to show them the man's face – but they were out of luck.

Pausing as he looked intently at his screen, he found it hard to think with the jittery man next to him. _What could he do?_

'Dave,' said Eric as his thoughts came back to the present. 'Dave!' said Eric excitedly. 'We've got a reflection.' Zooming in on the original footage that they had found their potential kidnapper on, Dave inched forward in three second increments as he realised that Eric was right. The man's face had been caught on Eric's car door as they engaged in a brief conversation and Eric strapped his daughter into the car.

As the computer worked swiftly flipping the image and filling in the gaps, time could not go fast enough. Eric's hands were gripping his desk hard. 'Sorry baby,' he said mentally to his desk as he continued to work on the mirror image.

As the image materialised before them, Eric looked at the screen intensely. 'That's him,' he ground out. 'Run it through ...'

He barely noticed that Eric had stopped mid-sentence as he transferred the image of their suspect into the system. As the computer began searching, Boa Vista stepped into his office and frantically rushed over.

'Calleigh's collapsed.'

*******************

_Coming Up: _Eric.


	5. Eric

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except my own creations.

*******************

Dashing through the halls, Eric Delko made his way to where he knew Calleigh was. He heard someone call out his name in the distance, but ignored it as he turned the corner and flew into the open door.

Entering the room, he saw that his wife was no longer unconscious and was currently propped up weakly in a chair with a fellow female employee standing close by. Relieved that she was now back in the land of the living, he surged forward.

Dropping to his knees, one hand went immediately for her face, whilst the other rested on her knee as he looked over her form, searching for any type of harm.

Calleigh lifted her hand to his cheek and then let it slide to his neck as she tried to reassure him that she okay. Funnily enough, he didn't believe her.

Natalia arrived not long after with a juice and a bag of chips from the vending machine and he flashed her a quick smile of thanks before his attention was back on Calleigh as he encouraged her to eat something.

She didn't get any better as the afternoon wore on.

It would appear that this newfound pregnancy was not going to be the easy ride that the first had been. At one particular point, he was holding her hair back as she emptied her stomach once again. He hated seeing her sick, and when she fell back against him and groaned, he brushed her hair to the side and lowered his head down next to hers.

'This isn't good Cal,' he mumbled as she sucked in deep breaths. 'We should get you to a doctor or the hospital.'

'I'm not going anywhere until we get our daughter back Eric,' she responded in a determined voice. 'Please don't ask me to.'

He felt so useless. As the team dashed around processing the evidence and searching for their suspect he alternated between pacing the room and sitting next to Calleigh and holding her to him.

He was looking at the bright Miami sun casting an orange glow through the hallway as he sat on the couch and looked unseeingly at the people passing by on the other side of the glass.

His mind drifted to his little girl.

He could see her face clearly in his mind – her laughing and giggling face so much like her mother's – and with such a personality. He smiled ruefully as he recalled what a water baby his daughter was. He knew without a doubt that Wylie had him wrapped around her little pinkie, and he had no doubt that their upcoming addition would be just as adept at getting him to do what they wanted.

He could feel the tears pooling in his eyes.

He'd worked as a CSI for many years, and sympathised with the various family members that had been notified of their child's death or were relying on them to save their child from whatever harm they were facing. It wasn't until now that he could now honestly say that he understood.

He squeezed the form in his arms fiercely as he ordered his tears away. His daughter was going to be fine. She had to be.

Calleigh was cuddled up into his chest, thankfully resting, but he felt her move at the same time he did when there was a sound in the doorway. 'We've found him.'

They turn in unison to the newest arrival.

'We've found him,' repeated Wolfe. 'We've found Jarrod Gooney. We've got an address and everything.'

Whatever the reason, Calleigh chose that moment to be sick once again. Torn between the two loves of his life, Calleigh wiped her mouth as she looked up at him in desperation. 'If I can't be there, then you need to be.'

Fiercely kissing the top of his wife's head, he leaves the room and races for the car.

*******************

_Coming Up: _Calleigh.


	6. Calleigh

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except my own creations.

*******************

Being cooped up in this small room while her daughter was out there - god knows where - was beginning to grate on her nerves. She had wanted to go with her husband when Wolfe had come with the news that they had found the home address of their prime suspect, but she knew that her presence would only be a hindrance.

But now, if she had to sit down any longer, she swore that she was going to scream. She was not going to let a bout of morning sickness get the better of her. Struggling to her feet, she gripped the top of the chair as she looked around. She sat down quickly when the floor tilted from side to side. _Damnit. _

She knew that she had to bide her time before trying again, but when her phone rang, her body automatically jumped for her mobile and her stomach rolled in protest. Begging her stomach to keep it all down, her hearth clenched when she saw the caller id.

'Eric?' she said frantically as she flipped open the phone. 'Did you find her?'

'I'm sorry Cal,' he whispered in pain. 'The house is empty. We haven't found her yet.'

She knew that he was still talking, but her mind was elsewhere. She was not going to sit back and do nothing. She hung up the call as she stood once again. Praying that her balance would hold out, she shuffled to the doorway.

As one hand gripped the door frame, she struggled to recover her breath as the other rested upon her still flat stomach. 'Come on baby,' she whispered. 'Let Mummy help.'

When she raised her head, a man walking by with a file looked at her strangely. She raised her hand in a manner that hopefully assured the gentleman that she was more than okay as she took a deep breath and, with a renewed sense of vigour, walked down the hallway.

She approached the DNA Lab and sought out the lab tech that she knew would be processing the evidence from their house: Maxine Valera.

The Laboratory Technician looked up awkwardly at her arrival and stopped what she was doing. In one hand she held a brown fluffy teddy bear and in the other a cotton wool swab. 'I heard,' said Maxine. 'How are you doing?'

Calleigh smiled tightly as she entered and gripped the desk. 'Fine.' She needed to get her mind off her fears for her daughter's safety and do something productive. 'Please tell me you've found something else?'

Maxine switched to professional mode. 'I'm almost done processing all the evidence from your daughter's bedroom... sorry... I'm looking to see if we can find any other traces of anything that can help us.'

Calleigh nodded her head, but her eyes was drawn to the toy in Maxine's hand once again. 'Where did that toy come from?'

'This one?' asked Maxine in confusion. 'It arrived with the stuff from the bedroom. I presumed that it was your daughter's.'

It wasn't.

As Calleigh reached out her hand for the teddy bear, she looks it over in horror. There on the paw was a personalised message stitched on. 'Baby Girl. DOD 07/26/2011.'

The date was two days from now.

It was with shaking hands that Calleigh handed the teddy back to Maxine and told her to find out who had ordered the toy. Her tone was flat as she continued. 'The company will have a record of every teddy bear made. You've just got to find it.'

'I don't know how,' said Maxine in an apologetic tone.

Calleigh pushed her aside without warning as she entered the teddy's manufacturer details into the computer. A phone number came up on the screen. She grabbed the telephone nearby as she punched in the numbers quickly.

Any objections that My Special Teddy Bear Co might have had about revealing who had ordered this particular teddy bear disappeared when she shouted down the line at them. Hanging up the phone once again she realised that standing up suddenly wasn't a good place to be.

Thrusting the piece of paper at Maxine she told her to call Horatio. Struggling to remain upright, she heard the lab tech speaking in urgent tones to her boss before she lost the battle.

And all went black.

*******************

_Coming Up: _Wolfe.


	7. Wolfe

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except my own creations.

*******************

Checking that his gun is where it should be, Wolfe stepped out of the car and looked at the non-descript house before them. The last house hadn't been much to look at either, but it had been empty. Let's hope that this one wasn't.

The house belonged to Bo Leach. He didn't know how they came to have the name or the address, but if Wylie Delko was in the house, he couldn't care less.

More police cars were arriving as he made his way over to Horatio. They were all on tenterhooks – none more so than Eric Delko. He could see the stress lining his features – the tensed jaw, the angry eyes – and he prayed that they found Wylie here. He know without a doubt that Calleigh and Eric would be shattered if this ended badly, and he knew that the lab would be feeling its effect too.

Shaking off the dark thoughts, he nodded at Horatio. 'Mr Wolfe.'

He stood back as Frank, Horatio and Eric made their move to the front door. Suddenly gunshots splintered the wood and windows from within. Everyone ducked and the three men ran for cover.

He was ordered out back with a few uniforms as their fellow law enforcement officers struggled to cope out the front. Eric was one of them.

Gun raised in preparation he ran down the side with three others. Reaching the back porch, he signalled for the uniforms to stop as he quickly looked in the window. He couldn't see anyone. Gingerly testing the door, he found it open. Slowly easing it back, he nodded for the uniforms to enter.

Stepping in himself, he found the back rooms empty. Gunshots and shattering glass could be heard from the front of the house.

Stepping forwrd, he suddenly had a clear view of Gooney and Leach. A brown haired man had his gun firing through a crack in the window, whilst the olive skinned man faced them, head down as he reloaded his shotgun.

They hadn't been detected yet.

The uniforms shot forward with their call of 'police' and Bo Leach was so surprised that he dropped the shotgun and raised his hands in surrender looking mighty scared. Gooney remained oblivious and continued to fire away madly.

Frank had entered the back of the house by this point and Wolfe didn't wait as the detective raised his gun and stepped toward Gooney. He had a bigger job to do.

He knew that with the shooters neutralised, Eric would be in the house in a flash. But he couldn't wait until then. Every second counted. The sooner that they could find young Delko, the better.

The back room was clear, the front rooms otherwise occupied, and as he ran down the hall frantically opening each door, he found these rooms empty. Some looked like they hadn't been touched in years, plastic sheets covering the furniture and dust caking it all.

Hitting the end of the hall, he swore under his breath. Damnit, he hadn't found anything. _Come on brain. Think_. There were really only two places left: an attic or a basement.

He raced down the hall once again. Gunshots were still firing in the front room, but he ignored Gooney's one last hurrah as he dashed across the hall behind the uniforms. Entering the kitchen, he found what he was looking for.

Throwing open the door, he flew down the steps to the basement. It was a wide room and didn't contain much. Breathing heavily he spun around looking for anything that might reveal where Wylie Delko could be. Again, this room was covered in dust, but as his eyes frantically looked it over once again, they were drawn to a bookshelf that was dust-free.

He pushed the bookshelf aside and there before him was a door. He tried the door, but it wouldn't budge. Spotting what appeared to be a peephole, he pulled the small hatch to the side and looked through the grate, his mind already thinking of the million different things that he might find there. His breath caught in his throat as he saw Wylie lying on the dirty floor before him.

She wasn't moving.

*******************

_Coming Up: _Natalia.


	8. Natalia

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except my own creations.

*******************

Natalia was right behind Eric as they ran through the kitchen and dashed down the stairs to find Ryan. Jarrod Gooney and Bo Leach had been subdued and so now they had other things on their mind.

Reaching the basement, she sees a bunch of men huddled around a door on the far side of the room. They were struggling to get the heavy thing open. Eric flew by her without a word as he sprinted over.

She made her way over too as uniforms began to arrive with various pieces of equipment. She had an opportunity to quickly peek into the room and she saw that Wylie Delko was not responding to any verbal cues.

She wasn't moving.

She'd never seen a grown man scared before, and it scared her as she looked at Eric: the anguish of being unable to reach his daughter – not knowing if his daughter was dead or alive – pulled at her heart strings.

It was a strange time, but it was at this moment that she got a sudden recollection of the pregnancy scare that she and Eric had gone through four years ago. She hadn't been ready to be a mother, and she suspected that Eric hadn't been ready to be a father yet either.

But part of her still wondered what it would have been like if it were her child in danger at this moment in time. A child of her and Eric. _Move on woman_, her brain chided as she mentally shook her head.

The door was finally pried open, and all that happened next seemed to be in slow motion. She watched as Eric ripped the door open and ran into the room. He dashed over to the little form lying on the ground and dropped to his knees.

She watched as he snatched his daughter into his arms, brushing the dirty hair from the smudged face of the little girl and felt for some sign of life.

It was like everyone in the room held their collective breath as they waited. Eric looked up, tears running down his cheeks.

Covering her mouth, she feared the worst. Grown men weren't supposed to cry.

'She's alive.'

Oh. Thank. God.

Horatio arrived in the basement, and the arrival of their boss seemed to spur Eric into action. He stood up, cradling his little girl in his arms as he dashed by her on his way out of the basement.

She was right behind him, and she knew that Wolfe and Horatio weren't far behind her. Spilling out into the front yard, she watched the departing form of Eric as he ran for the newly arrived ambulance.

So much was going on at that moment, but there was one image that would forever be ingrained in her mind: Eric's distraught face looked down at his unconscious daughter as his body turned to avoid hitting someone. A small arm swung aimlessly in the air in sync with Eric's rapid gait.

The moment was shattered as she came to realise that the incessant noise near her was the sound of her mobile phone ringing.

Pulling the mobile from her pocket, she pressed Accept and raised the phone to her ear, blocking her other ear with her finger as she moved to the side. 'Boa Vista.'

'Oh thank god someone's answering their phone,' came the breathless voice of Maxine Valera over the line.

'What's wrong?' she probed. _Surely things couldn't get any worse? _

'Calleigh's at the hospital.'

*******************

_Coming Up: _Nurse Abbey.


	9. Nurse Abbey

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except my own creations.

*******************

Working at the hospital for as long as she had, Abbey Bannister reckoned that she had seen pretty much everything there was to see. But when she signed on for the night shift that evening and saw the large group rushing through the hospital doors, she realised that there was in fact something new left to be experienced.

The group consisted of a skinny young woman, a middle-aged bright orange-haired man, a well dressed young man and a portly man that she instantly identified as a cop.

They were suddenly in front of the desk and all were speaking over one another in their urge to be heard. She couldn't understand the babbling amongst all the confusion and was ready to order them all to shut up and speak one at a time when the orange haired man beat her to it.

The sunglasses were removed, the head was crooked and then there was silence. His eyes bore into hers as he uttered his request. 'We're looking for Calleigh and Wylie Delko.'

_Now that wasn't so hard was it?_

'And your relationship is?' she queried, hospital protocol well ingrained within her.

She saw the flicker of doubt before the same man answered in a definitive tone. 'Family.'

Having no reason to believe otherwise, she entered the names into the system.

There was no record of a Wylie Delko, but there was a Calleigh Delko on the third floor. She started telling the group this information, but her response was interrupted by the arrival of a darker skinned man across the room.

The man dashed across to the group as all attention fell onto him. 'Eric!' called the skinny young woman. 'How is she?' asked the orange haired man. 'Where is she?' questioned the well dressed young man.

Eric – presumably Delko – raised his hands as he began to speak. 'Wylie's gone into surgery now with a suspected broken arm –' That must be why Wylie wasn't in the system: she had only just arrived. '– they're trying to figure out what she was drugged with.'

The dark skinned man drew a hand over his distressed, weary face - an expression she knew all too well. 'Where's Calleigh?'

They all looked wordlessly to her as one and she put them out of their misery.

'Room 3.004.'

She saw the group once more that night, but she saw Mr Eric Delko several times over. Chance – or fate or whatever you wanted to call it – had her picking up the phone from Surgery two hours later and discovering that Wylie Delko had just come out.

She was tasked with advising the young man and his pregnant wife the good news, and her hardened self internally shed a tear or two at the joyful reaction of the dark skinned man and his blonde haired wife as they hugged each other fiercely and kissed.

Such love was such a rare occurrence these days.

Checking on various patients that night, she found herself constantly bumping into Mr Delko as he moved between the rooms that housed his wife and daughter on two different floors. There were no words exchanged - just a simple nodding of heads as they both went about their tasks.

If the rumour mill at the water cooler was generating the right gossip tonight, then it would appear that the little Wylie Delko had been kidnapped and rescued during a shoot out. _Poor tyke. _

Clocking out in the wee hours of the morning, she couldn't help peaking into Wylie Delko's room one last time. Mr Delko lay awkwardly in the small cot, a little body with a plaster cast on her left arm curled up on his chest. It warmed the old cockles of her heart.

It was always nice when things turned out right.

*******************

_Coming Up: _Amity.


	10. Amity

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except my own creations.

*******************

Calleigh had always heard that children were remarkably resilient, but in the months following Wylie's abduction, she had seen the proof.

She hadn't been able to be at Wylie's side when she came out of her operation or when she woke up later. But by the time that the doctor had declared that Wylie was fit to go home two days later, she too was finally up and moving.

Wylie had been back to her normal bubbly self by the time she'd been carried into their house by Eric that afternoon. The impromptu surprise party that Wolfe had organised for Wylie had gone down a charm.

Her eldest daughter had enjoyed having a cast on her arm and eagerly went around to everyone with textas and a beg that her various 'admirers' sign her cast.

The novelty of having a cast wore off quickly though and Calleigh remembered the many nights where Wylie would wake up in the night in pain, wanting to scratch the skin she could not reach.

Then she and Eric had had to deal with a cranky child.

But she guessed that one bonus out of this whole event was that once the cast finally came off, Wylie felt no inclination to return to her thumb-sucking days. (One unfortunate incident not long after arriving home from the hospital had seen Wylie accidentally punch herself in the eye with her cast, and after the requisite tears, there had been no more thumb sucking.)

There had been much discussion in the bedroom between Calleigh and Eric about when the right time to tell Wylie that she was going to be a big sister was.

There had been concern that such a big announcement so soon after a traumatic event would have a detrimental effect on their daughter. But to their delight, Wylie was confused by the announcement for only a moment before she embraced the incoming sibling with great gusto and excitement.

She'd sent up a prayer for that.

As Calleigh had grown rounder and bigger throughout the pregnancy, Wylie had wanted to be pregnant too, more often than not trying to stuff a pillow up her shirt to look just like her. 'Bay'ee!'

When Amity Kaylla Duquesne Delko had finally made her arrival three days late on 29 February, Wylie had been over the moon – though her excitement had been rivalled by that of her father's.

She grinned in remembrance. Poor Eric had found himself with nothing to do, as any time that she had asked for anything – a towel, a blanket, a towel – Wylie was up in a flash and dashing to fulfil her command. 'I do it! I do it!'

The eight months following Wylie's abduction might have been relatively worry-free, but the fear that something might happen to Wylie again, or their newborn daughter, had never gone away.

She shuddered as she remembered one night not long ago when Wylie had burrowed herself under the covers one morning. When Eric had gone to rouse their late-sleeping daughter, an involuntary yell had escaped her husband's mouth. 'Calleigh!'

She'd moved as fast as she could to Wylie's room in fear. She'd sagged against the doorframe when they'd found Wylie's blonde hair poking out from under the bottom end of her rumpled bedspread and peeled back the blanket gingerly.

Wylie had given them quite the scare and it had taken them a while to get to sleep that night.

Sitting up against the pillows, Calleigh waited for Eric to return from his nightly check of windows, doors, locks and daughters.

She'd never been particularly religious, but at that point in time she felt the urge to give thanks. Her family was healthy, growing and most importantly...

Safe.

*******************

_Finito._


End file.
